Politicians lie. They also exaggerate and misremember. Each creates an autobiographical past that makes a great story but which probably isn’t completely true. But we are just like the lying politicians except for one critical difference.

Lying is an incredibly important skill. But lying is pretty tricky and depends on a basic cognitive capability that young children lack and need to develop. You may have to teach your children how to lie effectively.

The killer robots are coming after you. While this is a common plot theme in science fiction, it isn’t just fiction. Robots have killed before and will kill again. Beware beautiful robots who seem to be aware. Don’t let them out.

To understand someone else, the advice is to walk a mile in that person’s shoes. Putting on shoes isn’t the way into another person’s existence. I need to get inside that person’s experiences. But how can I walk a mile inside someone else’s skin? I know one way to move inside someone’s experience – and it isn’t by putting on shoes.

What regrets do you have? Although I’ve heard that we should live with “No Regrets,” I suspect we all have a list of regrets. Regrets invade our thoughts, occupy our minds, and keep us thinking about the things we wish we had done differently. But there may be ways to barricade your mind and stop ruminating about your regrets.

You meet someone new and attractive. Temptation strikes. Perhaps you’re a little infatuated. The eye looks and the mind wanders. You find your thoughts keep returning to the encounter and the possibility for romance, sex, or a relationship. But if you’re already in a committed and happy relationship, you may not want those thoughts. How can you stop those thoughts?

Have you, or anyone you know, ever been the victim of memory theft? Has someone ever stolen one of your memories and told the story as his or her own? You might be surprised by how frequently this crime happens—you aren’t alone if your memories have been stolen.

Does it ever seem that the only thoughts that come to mind are negative? You only remember the painful and sorrowful experiences from your life. Someone reminds you of something happy, but you struggle to remember it. And remembering that happy experience may make you feel worse rather than better.

Two seconds is not much time. Not enough time to evaluate a situation. Not enough time to negotiate. But it is enough time for implicit attitudes and emotions to drive responses. It is enough time to shoot and kill a 12 year old boy playing in a park.

Put on your team jersey and don your special hat. Make sure you have the right chips and dips. Are your friends ready? Will everyone be in the correct seat on the couch drinking the exact right beverage? Your team is depending on you. You’ve got to help them win. If you get any of this wrong, your team will lose and it will be your fault.

Did I lock my door? I don’t know. I don’t remember. I have a frequent memory failures like this. Did I respond to that email? Have I told my class about this before? What was I supposed to get at the store today? I bet you have these errors frequently too. But the real question is should we worry about these small, consistent, everyday memory failures.

I know I have little control over many things in my life, but I’d like to control the contents of my mind. My thoughts seem to have their own ideas about who is in charge. My mind runs in unintended directions and unwanted thoughts intrude at the worst possible times. But I’m not giving up. I’ve been working on a few methods to take control of my intrusive thoughts.

We should ban the use of computers and cell phones in classrooms. I love computers and I love my cell phone. But we need to ban them in classrooms and probably work meetings as well. I know that is a radical statement and one that will generate controversy. But what else can we do?

Generally, we assume it’s good to be smart. We expect smart people to make smart decisions. But smart people may be so good at reasoning that they can logically reach the conclusion they want rather than the correct answer. Maybe critical thinking isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

You see two people out to dinner or maybe sharing a cup of coffee in a neighborhood cafe. Their cell phones are with them; perhaps on the table, occasionally intruding into the conversation, and eventually disrupting their relationship.